Every so often, I’ll be sitting at a bar, throwing back a few adult beverages with a buddy or two and I’ll pose the following question:

If you could have one current NBA player to build your franchise around, with the goal of winning a NBA title in the next five years – who would it be?

Since the 2009 NBA Playoffs are in their infancy, it seems to be as good of a time as any to kick around this question. My criteria are simple – a franchise player has to be able to carry his team, while being reasonably young and injury-free.

We’ll count down from #10 to #1. My top nine guys were pretty easy to list, but #10 was a bitch. Maybe you can help me decide. Feel free to provide your own top 10.

HONORABLE MENTION

Yao Ming, Rockets (28 years-old)
I love Yao’s post up game, and he is a skilled passer, but the chances are only 60/40 that he’ll be healthy for any given playoffs and those odds are only going to decrease as time wears on. He’s like Robert Downey, Jr. — he’s great at what he does, but you just don’t know if he’s going to be there when you need him.

Chauncey Billups, Nuggets (32)
He seems to be more responsible than ‘Melo for the Nuggets’ great play this season, but he’s 32 years old. Still, his effectiveness depends more on strength, steady play and good shooting than it does his (somewhat limited) athleticism, so he should be able to play into his late thirties.

Al Jefferson, Timberwolves (24)
Jefferson is one of the few young, back-to-the-basket post players in the league. He averaged 23/11 on a bad team, which leads me to believe he could post 19/10 on a playoff team, and should only get better with age.

Amare Stoudemire, Suns (26)
He’s four years younger than our next guy, but he’s already had two serious injuries in his career so one wonders if this is a trend. He also seems to be a little bit on the selfish side and has a rep for being a bad defensive player.

10i. Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs (30)
Nowitzki already took a team to the Finals, and if not for the officials’ love affair with Dwyane Wade, he’d have his ring. But he’s already 30 and seems to have a weird stigma about him. Can he really carry a team to the Finals again?

10h. Carmelo Anthony, Nuggets (24)
I don’t know what it is, but I’m just not sold on ‘Melo as a so-called “franchise” player. He has a rep for being lackadaisical on the defensive end, but there is no doubt he’s a terrific scorer. Still, it should be hard to find fault with a franchise player; Anthony has a chance to alter the course of his career with a good performance in these playoffs.

10g. Carlos Boozer, Jazz (27)
He’s a gritty post player and rebounder, but seems to be a little injury prone. I don’t think he’s worth a max deal given the amount of time he spends in the training room.

10f. Chris Bosh, Raptors (25)
Bosh’s stock has slid with Toronto’s poor season. Throwing the record out for a moment, this is a 6’10” 25 year-old who has averaged better than 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds in four straight seasons, and players like that don’t fall off of trees.

10e. Kevin Garnett, Celtics (32)
He’s more than just a smooth seven-footer with a great jumper. He’s a defensive force, both on his man and in his ability to raise the level of play of his teammates. He’d be higher, but that knee injury has me worried about his long-term effectiveness. Is he wearing down? (Yes.)

10d. Joe Johnson, Hawks (27)
Given all the talent around him, he should be shooting better than 43% from the field. He’s a very good all around player – sort of a Kobe Lite.

10c. Paul Pierce, Celtics (31)
Pierce plays toe-to-toe with any wing on this list and usually comes up huge in crunch time. He gets the nod over Johnson because he can score in a plethora of ways and is a gritty defender. I love his game, but at 31, how many good years does he have left?

10b. Tim Duncan, Spurs (32)
He’s 32 and his numbers are on the decline. But he still plays big in the playoffs and even if he’s only “Duncan effective” for the next three years, wouldn’t you rather have that than five years of Boozer or Bosh?

10a. Tony Parker, Spurs (26)
It’s hard to tell how much of his success stems from having Duncan (and Manu Ginobili) on his team. He’s lightning quick and is getting more and more efficient from the field. At just 26 years old, he has a ton of seasoning and is a proven winner. It’s hard to beat that.
9. Derrick Rose, Bulls (20)
Some may say that Rose is a little high on this list, but he was thrown to the wolves and came out the other end as the clear Rookie of the Year. He can pretty much get to the rim whenever he wants and once he develops a consistent jumper (which looks like it will happen sooner rather than later), he’s going to be unguardable.

8. Brandon Roy, Blazers (24)
Roy is one of the league’s best young scorers. He can play off the ball or handle the point, and with his 48% accuracy from the field, he’s very efficient with the ball. Given his ability and versatility, I’d have no problem making him the centerpiece of my franchise.

7. Deron Williams, Jazz (24)
6. Chris Paul, Hornets (23)
Why bother writing separate blurbs for these two? They’ll be connected at the hip forever. This time last year, CP3 would be higher, but he’s playing too passive in these playoffs and his team needs him to score. Conversely, Williams is doing everything imaginable to keep the Jazz competitive. The mark of a great point guard is knowing when to get your teammates involved and when to take over the game. Williams seems to have the better killer instinct right now, but Paul’s MVP-worthy 2007-08 season still lingers in my mind.

5. Kevin Durant, Thunder (20)
I’m going with upside here. Durant made a huge leap from last season, increasing his three-point accuracy by almost 14%, while averaging 25.3 points and 6.5 rebounds. And the kid is only 20 – can you imagine what kind of overall game he’ll have in another two or three years?

4. Dwight Howard, Magic (23)
Howard is 6’11”, strong as an ox, and has averaged 21/14 over the last two seasons. His post up game is improving and he’s the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. Those are just a few of the reasons why he’s the only PF/C in the top 9. The fact that he’s such a rare commodity makes him that much more valuable.

3. Kobe Bryant, Lakers (30)
2. Dwyane Wade, Heat (27)
This is a pretty tough call because Kobe is three years Wade’s senior, so it’s a safe assumption that Wade will be the better player over the last two years of the five-year period in question. His play this season has been phenomenal, and if you replace Kobe with D-Wade on the Lakers, I don’t think there’s much of a drop-off. Still Kobe is Kobe, and if he fails to win a title this season, there will be no player hungrier for one in the next five years. However, I think the Lakers will get a ring this season, so I’m going with Wade for the next five years.

1. LeBron James, Cavs (24)
No surprise here. He’s already in the top two in the “best player in the world” conversation and he’s six years Kobe’s junior. There is no ceiling on how good he can be. If he shows a Jordan- or Kobe-esque offseason work ethic, he could be the greatest player ever to play the game. If he continues to ignore the post, teams may figure out a way to slow him down (i.e. play off him on the perimeter and send over help on his first dribble). He has drastically improved his defensive intensity and free throw shooting from a year ago, so things are looking good. Very good.

Looking at the list, I think I’d only give a max contract to the first nine players. The fact that I could make an argument for any of those players in the 10th spot tells me that there’s a drop-off in total value after Rose. Part of the problem with salaries around the league these days is that there are far too many max contracts out there. Just because a guy is the best player on any given team, it doesn’t make him worthy of a max deal.

this was the stupidest “top 10” ever. I dont know who homeschooled you, but a top 10 is not a list of 19, no matter what your 18 year old uncle told you. 10a to 10i? are you kidding me? plus 4 honorable mentions?

Hey John, this is a really great top ten list. I think Kevin Durant definitely deserves his #5 position, the kid is amazing. Plus the Thunder suck so bad, it’s hard not to pick him. I would have Kobe as #1, if he were with the Cavs, they’d be just as good if not better. You can post this to our site http://www.toptentopten.com/ and then link back to your site. We are looking for top ten lists and our users can track back to your site. The coolest feature is you can let other people vote on the rankings of your list.

Hey “all,” if you actually took the time to read John’s intro, you would have seen that he admits he had trouble picking the 10th guy. He threw all those names out there so that readers would have the opportunity to debate who that 10th guy is.

He knows how to count to 10. But you clearly don’t know how to read and interpret and that, my friend, is the pathetic part.

Thanks for your input. It’s meant to be a fun piece to stir up some debate, not written in the rigid format that you’d like. I’m not sure why you’re criticizing the “max contract” bit. It makes sense that I would find that the top 9 would be “max” players while the 10th spot would not, since it’s so tough to settle on that 10th player.

You seem to like to use the word “pathetic” a lot. Do you think we will take offense when an overly negative reader spouts off about one of our posts? Is there anything about the act of going around the net crapping all over someone else’s work that’s not pathetic?

In my opinion, Chris Paul should be above Kevin Durant on this list. I’d put Howard and Paul above Kobe as well just because they’re both 7 years younger than Kobe.

I don’t think some people really appreciate just how good Chris Paul is. If you boil it down to statistics, he’s put together two of the greatest statistical seasons in NBA history over the last two years. Go to ESPN.com and take a look at Paul’s player efficiency ratings over the last two years. Compare them to Deron William’s to see what I mean. Paul has separated himself from the rest of the point guard pack.

When his career is over, Paul is going to be seen as one of the two best PGs of all time. I’m not sure Durant has a chance to reach those heights as a small forward.

My issues with Bosh and Stoudemire are the current state of their teams. Toronto missed the playoffs despite a decent supporting cast and PHX was barely in the playoffs when Amare got hurt and they have Nash, Shaq and Richardson to support Stoudemire. I like Granger too, but he (and Devin Harris) are posting good numbers on bad teams.

Watching the Celtics-Bulls game right now and Rondo is launching himself into, dare i say it, stardom during this series. I am wondering if you would consider putting him on the honourable mention after seeing his consistency, while injured, in this series? If he can develop his jumper he could be up there closely behind Paul and Deron, the rest of his game is just too impactful to ignore. He has already made good strides in his jumper from last year and I fully expect him to get it at least to a J-Kidd (a few years ago) level shortly.

As a Raptors fan I fully agree with where you put Bosh, and most of the players in that 10th spot. Bosh is an extremely good player but has not shown he can carry a team yet… although the raps did need a lot of carrying this year, especially once injuries hit.

WAHOOOOOOO……….THE PICK FOR # 1 IS A NO BRAINER……..LBRON JAMES ROCKS!!!!!!!!!! HE IS GOING TO CARRY THE CAVS ON HIS BACK ALL THE WAY TO THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND F I N A L L Y O H I O WILL HAVE A CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!!!!!!

JH – I disagree. The Bucks had Mo Williams and Michael Redd healthy last season and missed the playoffs. Does LeBron have a better supporting cast then D-Wade? Yes, but that’s not the point of this list.

Sup JP. Interesting…Top Ten picks to help my team win a championship, within the next 5 years. Havin ball skillz is an obvious must. I also need a player who can lead my team. No team can win an NBA title without strong On the court leadership. As for your Top Ten+ list…Dirk can’t close the deal, see 05-06 finals. Anthony lacks emotional stability. Boozer spends more time in a suit than he does in shorts. Bosh is more of a Pippen than a Jordan. Joe Johnson has no control over his team. Pierce had forever to prove he’s the man and failed. I’d take Duncan if he came with Pop. Parker…I’d love to do his wife. Durant and Rose need more time.

Dirk can’t close? Come on. Everyone knows that the refs took over that series. You can’t blame the Big German if every time a Maverick breathed on Wade they got called for a foul, can you?

Your list is strong 1-7, but KG is getting on in years and is sidelined right now. Billups is 32 and he disappeared in the last two games of the Laker series (22 points in those two games). I like Baron and I feel bad for him after what Brand did to him and the Clippers.

JP. I love Tall Blonde Germans as much as the next man…I seem to remember one standing on the FOUL line. Oh yeah, it was Game 3 of the 05-06 NBA Finals. Fourth Quarter, with 3 seconds on the clock. He had an opportunity to tie the game at 97-97. For a moment, I thought He was doing a dead on, David Carradine impression (oh no he di’in)…Turns out he was just shooting a free throw. Already up 2-0 in the series. He wins that game, He wins those Finals. I put your pal Dirk at number 6 on Barack’s List. And my pal Baron’s an HM with Michael. Rack Me…

I guess the 30 points he had wasn’t enough in that game. Dwyane Wade only shot 18 free throws (and missed 5). Missed free throws can happen to anyone, but I agree, Dirk wasn’t clutch in that scenario. Unfortunately, it looks like that series will define the Big German’s career.

What!!!???? No love for Josh Boone & Sean Willllll…. ok that was just the Net fan in me venting

All kidding aside!

even though I put LBJ at the top of the heap lets not forget that he could have and maybe should have taken his team past Orlando – He may not have a scotty or gassol / Odom combo running with him but he did have an underrated support system – Big Z and MoWill may not be sexy but they are real skilled players and the cavs had enough other pieces to beat Orlando – LBJ, as great as he is has not yet learnt to conduct the orchestra as the likes of MJ Larry and Magic and of late Kobe – when Hedo the Turk is running end of game sets better than you (LBJ)… no worries though – he will get there sooner than later!

I think most of the lists are great with these few reality checks … Durant does not belong in this conversation yet let alone the list ( though maybe 10L – that was for you “all” ) – he is a (very good) one dimensional player at this point and has a way to go before he is a “franchise player” … Dirk deserves way more respect than he is getting – as someone pointed out if the refs (david stearn) did not have it out for Marc Cuban (an objective observer knows that up 2-0 the game became put Dwade on the line if they even boo him on a shot and dirk only if blood is flowin … fact is Stearn was not letting Cuban win one that year – before we forget … Cuban made that bed… ) he has accomplished a lot more individually and team wise than either Bosh or Amare – Amare btw is a modern day Bob McAdoo … CP3 & DWill deserve more love than some are showin as well – they r both going to the HOF on roller skates and are already franchise PGs … another guy not mentioned is TP … he may not be top 10 but u tell me if u take him or Durant or Mellow .. or Amare … I mean in a quiet way this guy shreds Ds and plays huge in big games… and if not for the 5 year thing Pierce needs to be on the list …
One last thought I think we will be discussing OJ mayo next year or two more so than Durant Amare and maybe Mellow though I think Mellow is capable of carrying a team all the way.
Great Discussion….

I truly believe that defense and good presence inside is what wins champioships since the MJ era. San Antonio with Duncan, Houston with Hakeen, Lakers with Shaq and now Gasol, Celtics with Garnett and the Pitons with the Wallaces. That is why Dwight Howard should be at the #1 spot. I think that Lebron is a great player but he will be remembered more by his statistics than by winning championships.

1- Dwight Howard
2- Lebron James
3- Dwyane Wade
4- Kobe Bryant
5- Chris Paul
6- Deron Williams
7- Dirk Nowitzki
8- Pau Gasol (one of the best and underrated PF/C in the nba)
Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose, Al Jefferson, Brandom Roy, Carmelo Anthony, Tony Parker,Granger, Joe Johson. Any of these player could make the 9 or 10 spot. Duncan, Garnett and Pierce are not in my list just because of their age. And here are the players that are not in my list just because they tend to ged injuried: Amare, Bosh, Boozer, Yao. It will be a grat risk to sign any of these players

What about arenas if he can stay healthy?????
I think chancey is a overrated point guard. He arrived at Denver with the perfect escenario. Denver only needed a solid point guard who can control the ball becuase the talent was there with Marin, Melo, Smith, Nene. The other players deserve to be on the list.

Pirate — key phrase: “if he can stay healthy” — he hasn’t been able to.

Jose Carlos — Good point about interior defense, but I have two small problems with your list. Maybe I’m wrong, or my memory is a little fuzzy, but I don’t think Olajuwon was known for his great defense. He was an offensive juggernaut, but an average defender. The same goes for Gasol who has improved his defense from below average to average in his last couple of seasons with the Lakers.

Ast — I seem to remember Rose with a key block against Rajon Rondo that won a game for the Bulls in the playoffs. He can play defense, though he needs to learn to do it better. It’s the same with his jumper. As I said in the piece, I had to project a bit with this list.